On Friday, Northwestern faced Venice in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Northwestern Bulls fell to the Venice Indians 48-42. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Bulls of the 63-46 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in September of 2023.
Despite the defeat, Northwestern had strong showings from Leon Strawder, who threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.9 yards per attempt, and Calvin Russell Jr., who picked up 151 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Russell Jr. was no stranger to the big play, connecting with a big catch that went for 60 yards. A healthy portion of that aerial production (87 yards to be exact) also went to Nicholas Lennear.
Gata Wilder had a dynamite game for Venice, rushing for 314 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.5 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Winston Watkins Jr., who gained 83 total yards and two touchdowns.
Northwestern's loss dropped their record down to 1-1. As for Venice, they pushed their record up to 2-0 with that victory, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season.
Northwestern's road trip will continue as they head out to face Carol City at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Carol City focused on turnovers this week as team gave up five on Friday. As for Venice, they will challenge Bishop Verot at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
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